AQA A Level History - Britain > deck_liverpool_optimised > Flashcards

deck_liverpool_optimised Flashcards

(55 cards)

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1
Q

What was Lord Liverpool’s real name and dates?

A

Robert Jenkinson, 1770–1828

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2
Q

What three great offices of state did Liverpool hold before becoming PM?

A

Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, and Secretary for War and the Colonies

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3
Q

When and why did Liverpool become PM?

A

May 1812, after the assassination of Spencer Perceval

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4
Q

Was Liverpool the Prince Regent’s first choice for PM?

A

No – several failed attempts to form a Whig ministry meant the Prince Regent had to accept Liverpool

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5
Q

How did the historian Asa Briggs characterise Liverpool’s key skill?

A

He was able to ‘coordinate the forces of order’ and bring a victory against Napoleon in 1815

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6
Q

How was Liverpool generally regarded as a leader?

A

As uninspiring but morally sound, conscientious and a ‘safe pair of hands’ – a skilled mediator who exercised firm control over major decisions

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7
Q

Who were Liverpool’s four key initial cabinet members?

A

Lord Sidmouth (Home Secretary), Lord Eldon (Lord Chancellor), Nicholas Vansittart (Chancellor of the Exchequer), J.F. Robinson (President of the Board of Trade)

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8
Q

Why couldn’t Liverpool include Canning in his original cabinet?

A

Canning refused to serve alongside Lord Castlereagh, who was Foreign Secretary and Leader of the Commons

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9
Q

What were Liverpool’s main political difficulties in the Commons?

A

Government ministers were outmatched by articulate Radicals and Whigs; Liverpool was caught between the declining patronage system and a new disciplined party machinery

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10
Q

Why was Liverpool fortunate despite these Commons difficulties?

A

The opposition lacked unity and leadership

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11
Q

What was the ‘Queen’s Affair’ of 1820?

A

George IV attempted to divorce his wife Caroline of Brunswick and then exclude her from the throne

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12
Q

How did the Queen’s Affair damage Liverpool’s government?

A

It tarnished Liverpool’s reputation, increased government unpopularity, and roused popular demonstrations for Caroline, creating a serious threat to constitutional stability

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13
Q

How many sinecure offices did Liverpool abolish between 1815 and 1822?

A

Approximately 1,800

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14
Q

What was the significance of abolishing sinecure offices?

A

It reduced royal influence and stimulated the development of party politics, as appointments were now linked to duties not patronage

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15
Q

KEY TERM: What is a sinecure?

A

A paid government post that carries little or no actual work – abolished by Liverpool as they funded political loyalty rather than service

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16
Q

KEY TERM: What is a reactionary?

A

A person who tends to oppose political reform and wishes to preserve or restore traditional structures

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17
Q

When did Liverpool’s ‘new look’ cabinet begin to emerge?

A

1821–1823

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18
Q

Who were the key new cabinet figures after the 1821–23 reshuffle?

A

George Canning (Foreign Secretary), Robert Peel (Home Secretary), William Huskisson (President of the Board of Trade), and the Duke of Wellington

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19
Q

What caused the 1821–23 reshuffle?

A

The shocking suicide of Lord Castlereagh in August 1822 allowed Canning to enter the Cabinet; other reforming ministers including Peel and Huskisson were also promoted

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20
Q

HISTORIAN: What did W.R. Brock (1940s) argue about Liverpool’s government after 1821?

A

Brock argued there was a dramatic ‘sea-change’ – that prosperity after 1822 transformed the government’s whole tone and gave birth to ‘Liberal Toryism’, making it one of the great reforming ministries of the 19th century

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21
Q

HISTORIAN: What did Boyd Hilton (2006) argue about Liverpool’s government after 1821?

A

Hilton challenged Brock, arguing there was continuity throughout Liverpool’s government – the new ministers promoted in 1821–23 had all held influential posts before, and former reactionaries like Sidmouth and Vansittart remained in Cabinet

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22
Q

KEY TERM: What is ‘Liberal Toryism’?

A

A term applied to Liverpool’s government after 1822, suggesting a shift towards more reforming, economically liberal policies. The term was originally used pejoratively by High Tories who accused the government of dangerous liberalism

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23
Q

Who were the ‘High Tories’ (Ultra Tories)?

Study These Flashcards
A

Reactionary, anti-reform Tory MPs who accused the government of ‘liberalism’ after 1822 – particularly opposed to Catholic Emancipation and parliamentary reform

24
Q

When was the Corn Law introduced?

25
What did the 1815 Corn Law stipulate?
No foreign corn could be imported until the home price of wheat reached 80 shillings a quarter
26
Why was the Corn Law of 1815 passed?
Landowners and farmers suffered from cheap foreign corn flooding the market after the French wars ended; they used their dominance of both Houses of Parliament to protect their interests
27
HISTORIAN: What does Boyd Hilton argue about the motivation for the 1815 Corn Law?
Hilton argues the government 'took over' the Corn Law as official policy because ministers were genuinely concerned about food subsistence and wanted to avoid a sudden post-war slump in agricultural prices – not purely serving landlord interests
28
What were the economic consequences of the 1815 Corn Law?
Pushed up the price of bread (staple diet of labouring poor), causing widespread civil unrest, petitions and serious rioting
29
What social groups opposed the Corn Laws?
The working poor (raised bread prices), and powerful commercial and industrial interests (who would have to raise wages and curtail investment)
30
What was the price of wheat in March 1815?
71 shillings and 6 pence
31
What was the price of wheat in March 1816?
52 shillings and 10 pence – showing the Corn Law did not maintain prices
32
Why did small farmers struggle despite the Corn Laws?
Corn prices were never as high as during the war and poor harvests continued; farmers who had taken long leases during wartime cut wages and dismissed hired hands
33
Why was income tax repealed in 1816?
MPs successfully argued it was only a wartime measure
34
What was the negative consequence of repealing income tax in 1816?
The government raised indirect taxes on commodities such as candles, beer, sugar and salt, hitting the poor hardest
35
When was habeas corpus suspended and why?
1817, after an attack on the Prince Regent's coach
36
What did the Six Acts of 1819 do?
Outlawed unofficial military training, seditious meetings and seditious libel; introduced stamp duties on newspapers to price them out of working-class reach; gave magistrates powers to search homes for weapons; sped up judicial process
37
What was the purpose of the Six Acts?
To safeguard the position and authority of the ruling classes in response to high civil unrest, demonstrations at St Peter's Fields and radical agitation
38
What did the Relief Acts and Toleration Act (1819) do?
Permitted greater religious freedoms for Nonconformists
39
What did the Truck Act (1819) do?
Attempted to prevent employers paying wages 'in kind' (goods instead of money) to factory workers
40
What did the 1819 Factory Act do?
Prohibited children under 9 from working in cotton factories and restricted working hours for young people to 12 hours a day
41
Why was the 1819 Factory Act historically significant?
It was an early step in state intervention in working conditions and caused resentment among factory owners – a sign of growing government responsibility for social welfare
42
Who led the campaign for repeal of the Combination Acts?
The skilled artisan class, led by Radical journeyman Francis Place
43
When were the Combination Acts repealed?
1824
44
Why were the Combination Acts repealed in 1824?
Trade was expanding, unemployment had fallen, and Francis Place argued that legalising trade unions would lead members to reject violence and work towards greater productivity
45
What did the 1825 Amending Act do?
Obstructed future strikes by making it illegal to 'molest' or 'obstruct' other workers – a retreat from the 1824 position
46
Why was the Amending Act passed in 1825?
A short trade boom from 1822–24 had encouraged strikes; when this ended and hardship returned, a burst of strike action prompted the government to pull back on its reforming position
47
What were Peel's key penal reforms as Home Secretary from 1822?
Removed death penalty from many minor offences; Gaol Acts standardised conditions across the country; separation of prisoners by sex with female wardens for women; more efficient system overall
48
What was the practical result of Peel's penal reforms?
More convictions for lesser crimes, as juries had previously been reluctant to convict when the penalty was death – the reforms therefore secured justice more effectively
49
What was Peel's attitude to reform?
Pragmatism rather than ideology – he was motivated by efficiency and a sense of responsibility, not enthusiasm for radical social change
50
Why did Liverpool's government fail to address Parliamentary Reform?
It did not have the political will to tackle the two main issues on reformers' minds: Parliamentary Reform and Catholic Emancipation
51
What happened to the rotten borough of Grampound in 1819?
It lost both its seats; these were reassigned to the county of Yorkshire (population 20,000) – though not to an unrepresented industrial city like Manchester
52
When did Liverpool suffer a stroke and end his tenure?
1827 – he died the following year in 1828
53
PRACTICE QUESTION PROMPT: 'The years 1812–1827 were a time of reform.' How far do you agree?
AGREE: Penal reform (1824), repeal of Combination Acts (1824), Factory Act (1819), Truck Act (1819), free trade budgets (1824–25), Catholic Emancipation support. DISAGREE: Six Acts (1819), Corn Laws (1815), suspension of habeas corpus (1817), failed to address Parliamentary Reform or Catholic Emancipation, Amending Act (1825) reversed union rights. OVERALL JUDGEMENT: More reactionary in first phase, more reforming after 1821–23 reshuffle, but always conservative in approach
54
HISTORIAN: How does Asa Briggs summarise Liverpool's achievement?
Briggs argues Liverpool was able to 'coordinate the forces of order' and hold together a deeply divided party across 15 years – a significant feat given the pressures of post-war economic distress and radical agitation
55
KEY THEME: Why is the debate over 'Liberal Toryism' important for AQA essays?
It is central to questions about continuity vs change in Liverpool's government. Brock sees a dramatic break in 1821–23; Hilton sees continuity throughout. You should be able to deploy both arguments and reach your own judgement
AQA A Level History - Britain
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